


Herbert Has Mitochondrial Disease 2021

by laforeze



Category: Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Baby's First Fanfic, Disabled Author, Disabled Character, M/M, Pre-Slash, chronically ill herb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:34:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28522479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laforeze/pseuds/laforeze
Summary: Stay tuned as I continue to exploit my chronic illness for gay intimacy.
Relationships: Daniel Cain/Herbert West
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Herbert Has Mitochondrial Disease 2021

Herbert’s breath hitched as his right calf was enveloped with pain. He sat perfectly still for a moment before running a hand along to gently cup his knee. It was unusual for a joint this large to give him any trouble, he was more used to fingers and the occasional wrist or elbow. He surveyed it for a moment; patellar subluxation.  
He looked up at Dan from across their workstation, who was already looking at Herbert with an odd look on his face. It seems he’s noticed. “Dan,” Herbert started, working out in his head how he was going to articulate the next few words. “Come over here for a moment, I need you to help me with something.” Dan stood, “Sure, what is it?” He walked around the table to meet Herbert where he sat. Herbert swallowed and looked down at his leg. “My knee has moved just slightly out of place while we were working. Could you help guide it back for me please?”  
He ran his hand down the front of his calf and back up to his knee. “I just need it to be moved back and forth as I would normally move it on my own, then it should fall right back into place and I should be able to move it on my own again.” He looked back up at Dan who was staring at him with a half concerned half puzzled expression. “Have you seen a doctor about this?” Herbert sighed. “I am a doctor.” He waved his hand dismissively. Dan glared. “..And technically I’m seeing a doctor right now; I’m looking right at him.” Dan crossed his arms and huffed. “I don’t know why I do anything for you.” Herbert smiled, reaching up and patting Dan’s forearm.  
“Look, I’ve done enough research on my own to understand my condition, I’m completely fine.”  
Dan rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say.” He knelt down in front of Herbert and scooted forward. Dan put his hand on the back of his ankle and gently lifted. Herbert winced. “Does this hurt?”  
He couldn’t meet Dan’s eye; the physical contact combined with the unfortunate ideas that rushed to his head from the position Dan was in, kneeling in front of him like that made it rather difficult. “Yes, keep going.” Dan nodded and slowly lifted Herbert’s leg up to a fully straightened position, moving his other hand to rest on his shin.  
Herbert kept his hands occupied by gripping either side of the stool as his leg was carefully and slowly brought back down to a 90 degree angle. “Any better?” Herbert braved a look down at Dan and almost instantly regretted it. God, his face was pretty, and twisted in genuine concern over someone like him. He felt his own face grow uncomfortably hot. Sometimes he wondered why Dan stayed with him through everything. At first he had assumed it was for their shared interest in the work, though after a while it seemed the other man cared for him in a genuine way that felt foreign to Herbert. He stored that idea away, labeling it as wishful thinking and threw it in the pile with all the other concepts he’d deemed as unproductive. “No, not yet. You’ll have to go a few more times.”  
Over the next minute Dan brought Herbert’s leg up to his shoulder and back down again repeatedly until he felt Herbert jolt upright in his seat. “There! Perfect.” The pain was completely gone and Herbert wiggled his ankle to test out the mobility. Dan looked up at him. “Finally.” He sighed with a smile and stood up. “Thank you.” Herbert stood as well, without fully registering Dan hadn’t stepped back yet. Herbert felt his heart flutter for a moment before Dan turned around and walked back to his side of the table. He stretched, doing his best to ignore the disappointment he felt in the back of his mind that Dan had moved away so quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic so b nice pls hehe..... ik it's short mayb i'll try something longer once i get more comfy


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